Unconditional
by Grigri
Summary: Jane stumbles across a child who belongs to no one. A child she would be proud to call her own. Eventually Rizzles. Rated M for cursing and MAYBE some lemons in the future. - DUE TO AN HAND INJURY IT'S GOING TO TAKE ME LONGER TO UPDATE MY STORIES, BUT I HAVEN'T QUIT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first attempt at a Rizzoli and Isles fic. I have a general idea of where I want it to go but I'll take any suggestions you may have into consideration. Constructive criticism is very welcomed.**

**I don't own the show.**

**This story is unbeta-ed and every mistake you find is my fault... *hides in shame* **

* * *

"Where are we going?" a young girl, no more than 8, asked the driver – the person she had felt forced to refer to as 'mom Louise' for the past 10 months and 23 days.

The brown haired girl stared from the window of the moving car, waiting for a reply even though she had a feeling she knew what was happening... again.

"We're just meeting some people", the woman replied with an even voice. "I'm sure you'll like them, Hope."

Green eyes watered. "You're sending me off to someone else," she stated simply. There was no need to sugar coat it. Hope knew it was bound to happen. She had been pushed from home to home ever since she was 6. Thirteen foster families had had her and thirteen families had sent her away. _Fourteen now, _Hope thought.

Louise had been the last one to take her in. It had also been the longest she had managed to stay with a family. Maybe it was because she was more guarded this last time, only doing as she was told, ignoring the things she liked to do, to do the ones that pleased her 'mom'. She became the child the family wanted, the good, flawless puppy they liked to showcase, but after 9 months Hope started to crack, hoping that maybe this stay would be more permanent, that they liked her after all, she started showing more of her true self, sharing the little interests she had. It hadn't pleased the Anderson's it looked like. She wasn't about to become an Anderson either as she hadn't become a Smith, a Mills or a Tate.

"You're dumping me off with a new family," Hope said, interrupting the disturbing silence. "That' why my social worker was there this week."

"Hope… you must have known it wouldn't be permanent." Louise gasped. "Not all foster parents are looking to adopt…"

"You said you were. I heard you." Hope shrugged. "You can just say you don't want me."

"I'm sorry Hope, but you aren't what me and Mick were looking after," the woman concluded.

At that Hope had to let out a chuckle. She would never be the dream child to anyone. She was about to be placed at another home for a couple of weeks, luckily months, before this family too grew tired of her and decided to dump the load on someone else. She wasn't going to take that. She could take care of herself. She didn't need anyone's protection. Hope unbuckled her seatbelt slowly and as the car cruised at a lower speed, in a swift motion, the 8 year old opened her door and jumped.

She rolled down the road for a few meters and noticed the car braking – the high pitched sound of the tires on the pavement signaling she had to start running soon or she would never escape from the life she didn't want. Her arm was hurting from the fall, but seeing Louise stepping out of the car was enough to have her running at full speed down the hill. She didn't stop running even after she was sure Louise wasn't following her. She had long lost her. Once she had made it to the park, all the trees played in her favor and ditching her ex foster mother was fairly easy, but it wasn't until she literally fell from exhaustion that she stopped. She lay on the grass of that extensive park and looking around her she smiled. She was finally free.

By the time the sun started to fade the little girl's stomach started to growl. She hadn't eaten in a few hours and she had no money with her. She had made her way into the city and was now staring longingly to the coffee shop in front of her. She would give anything to any of the sugary treats in display.

Hope knew she didn't have the money to pay for any of those, but she still was lured inside, stopping in front of the showcase with hungry eyes.

'Geez kid… you look like you haven't eaten in ages' Hope heard someone saying with a hint of amusement on their voice.

She looked up and met the eyes of a curly haired brunette. She swallowed a lump on her throat, fearing to be caught, and took a few steps back.

'Hey?' the woman frowned, Hope's nervousness giving her away. 'Are you here by yourself?' she questioned, looking around. 'How old are you? Where are your parents?'

Hope's green eyes darted to the floor. She didn't have an answer that would satisfy the woman; that much she knew. She also knew she couldn't risk being caught so she did the only thing she could to protect herself. She ran again.

Sensing something was odd about the situation, the woman took off running after the kid. Truthfully the girl was fast, but she had training and her legs were longer. She knew the streets like no one and it was only a matter of minutes until she caught Hope, grabbing her tightly against her to prevent her from either kicking her or running.

'Let me go!' Hope yelled. 'Let me go!' she cried out, tears threatening to fall. 'No! Stop it! Let go!'

'Hey!' The woman raised her voice slightly and squeezed the girl tighter against her to get her attention. 'Hey!' She turned the girl around to face her, keeping a tight grasp on the girl's flailing arms and kneeling in front of her. 'Listen to me kid… I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just trying to help out here, make sure you're ok.' She explained, calmly. 'My name is Jane. What's yours?'

'Please let me go…' Hope whimpered.

'What were you doing at the shop by yourself?' Jane pressed.

'Nothing. Can I go now?'

'Not a chance sweetheart. You tell me your address and I'll take you home to your parents myself.' Hope looked down and shook her head.

'Look… sweetie I just want to help you. Is…is everything ok at home?' Jane asked, concerned. Being a top detective made her very perceptive and capable of reading people and situations like no one else. This kid transpired a big deal to her and she wasn't about to let it go. 'Ok… you don't want to reply. Fair enough. You did run away though didn't you?'

Hope looked at Jane in the eyes for a second, before returning her gaze to the floor once more.

'You don't have to reply to that.' Jane whispered, letting go of the girl's arms and grabbing her hand instead, giving it a light squeeze in encouragement. 'I already know the answer and I'll promise you I'll help you fix it, ok?' Jane asked, with nothing but sincerity in her voice.

Hope didn't know what made her believe Jane, but she found herself nodding and walking back with Jane to wherever she was taking her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank you for taking the time to read and review my fic. It** **made me happy :)**

**I'm a bit apprehensive about this chapter... Tell me what you think, what you'd like to see happening...Hated it? Loved it? **

* * *

"Are you hungry?" Jane asked the kid as they went back to the coffee shop. She had contemplated going straight to the station but she figured the moment the child noticed where she was taking her, the chances of her opening up would be even slimmer. "How about we sit down and order something to eat?" Jane smiled.

"Can we have pancakes?" Hope asked straight away.

"We sure can, kid."

After placing their orders, Jane led Hope to a table. The two sat in an awkward silence, Jane trying to read the little girl in front of her and Hope doing her best to avoid meeting Jane's stare.

"So…" Jane started, breaking the ice. "Wanna tell me your name?" she tried.

"So you can send me back?" the young girl, defied, furrowing her brows and clenching her fists on the table.

Jane ignored the obvious signs of the girl's discontentment and pressed on. "So you did run away then." When Hope didn't say anything, Jane kept on talking. "Sweetheart I just want to help you. You have to trust me here."

"Why should I?" Hope asked bitterly. "You'll just send me back."

"Why don't you want to go back?"

Hope shook her head, signaling she wasn't about to tell anything.

"Here you go, detective," the waitress said, placing two plates with pancakes on their table before excusing herself away.

Hope's eyes opened as wide as they would go. She swallowed the lump on her throat and felt the terror in her body. She felt her heart beating so fast she thought it would come out from her mouth. Jane, noticing the change in the girl and realizing she was starting to hyperventilate, got up from her end of the table and went around it to kneel in front of Hope's chair.

"Why are you so scared, honey?" she whispered, resting her hand on the child's knee. "I can help you," Jane said forcefully. "Is someone hurting you at home? You can tell me. I promise I'll make it go away." Jane was determined to make sure this child would be okay. She knew she should just hand over the case to social services, but somehow she wanted to make sure herself that if there was anything worth investigating, that it would be taken care of.

"I'm Hope," the girl, confessed. "Please don't make me go," she cried.

Jane reached for Hope's face with her hand and wiped her tears off with her thumb. She couldn't promise such thing, but she made a vow to herself to make sure the best decisions would be made regarding this child. If that meant making sure she would be taken away from an abusive family and awarded custody to the State then she would see that it would happen. "Hope…" she whispered. "I will personally make sure that you will be okay. Deal?" Hope simply nodded, defeated. It broke Jane's heart to see so much pain reflected in those beautiful green eyes. "Why don't you eat your pancakes, sweetie? They have tons of chocolate in them. They're really the best ones around!" Jane said enthusiastically.

Hope simply nodded again, trying hard to enjoy what now to her was a plate with tasteless pancakes.

Twenty five minutes later, with Hope in tow, Jane entered the station and made her way to her desk. She noticed right away the looks Frost and Korsak were sending her. Ignoring them, Jane asked Hope to sit on her desk for a moment while she talked to her friends.

"Jane… who's that?" Frost asked, for both him and Korsak, who were still staring clueless at the 8 year old.

"I'm not sure…" Jane let out in one breath, joining her partners in the staring contest.

"You didn't kidnap the kid, did you?" Korsak started, with apprehension.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jane turned to look at him with an annoyed expression on her face, her finger tapping on the side of her forehead as she said it. "She was alone at the coffee shop and when I asked her where her parents were she just… started running and I had to chase her. Now she keeps begging me not to take her back," She quickly explained. "There's something going on here Korsak."

"Jane this isn't a case for homicide. Cavanaugh won't be happy to hear about this." The older man reasoned.

"I promised her I would make sure she would be okay!" Jane told them with incredible conviction.

"Okay…" Korsak paused, thinking for a moment. "Frost, check for any recent updates on the missing children database. See if she's somewhere in there."

"Do we have a name?" Frost asked, already typing on his laptop. "It will help narrow the search."

"Hope," Jane revealed. "Her name is Hope. I couldn't get a last name from her."

"That helps," Frost stated, meeting Jane's eyes briefly. She was looking at him expectantly, eager to solve the mystery on this child, eager to make things better.

"I think I've got something. I have a report on a missing child that matches her description. It came into the system around 10:15 a.m. today."

Jane looked at her wrist. "It's been 8 hours," she said to no one in particular.

"It's for an 8 year old girl, Hope Amelia Solo," Frost paused, reading the information ahead. "Her foster mom, Louise Anderson, reported it. Says here she jumped from a moving car and it's possible she's hurt."

"Foster?" Jane asked to make sure she had heard it correctly.

"Yes. She's been in the system from age 6. Her father is deceased, mother was an alcoholic, already died. No living relatives are known," Frost told them, already checking reports on the girl's case. "She's moved from schools quite a lot, been in thirteen foster homes, a few less times in group homes and…"

"Yes?" Jane urged him to continue.

"She was scheduled to be moved today to another family."

"No wonder she ran." Jane frowned. "I would too," she confessed. "Looks to me a visit to Louise Anderson is in order," Jane noted. "Text me the address."

"Please don't take me to her," Hope whispered, tugging on Jane's blazer, interrupting everyone's thoughts.

"Sweetie…" Jane let out in surprise. She hadn't expected the girl had listened to their conversation. "We just need to make sure we understand what's going on…" she explained, crouching to her level.

"I don't wanna move again."

"I know, sweetie. I know." With that, Jane held the girl to her. Letting her cry on her chest, while she wondered how she could possibly work things out so the girl had a chance at something that resembled more to some kind of normalcy. She's always had extreme faith in the system, but looking at this girl, that's when she started getting her doubts.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for your reviews, your follows and favorites! :D They are the best, honestly.

Chapter 3 is here and I hope you enjoy it. I tried to make it bigger so maybe it fits your liking better?

As usual criticism is welcomed :)

Oh and hey... Happy 2013! :D

* * *

'Louise Anderson, I'm Detective Rizzoli from Homicide.' Jane quickly flashed her badge before shaking hands with the woman. 'This is my partner, Detective Frost,' Jane introduced while discreetly scanning the surroundings behind the middle aged woman.

'Ma'am.' Frost nodded cordially.

'Homicide?' Louise gasped. 'I… I don't understand Detectives,' she let out in obvious surprise as she led both Detectives to the living room area, where she unceremoniously invited them to sit down.

'It is our understanding you reported a missing child this morning, ma'am,' Frost said, taking a seat on one of the couches after Jane.

'Yes.' The redhead nodded. 'That would be my foster daughter, Hope,' she told them, still unsure of what was happening. 'I'm sorry… but what has that to do with your department Detectives?' Louise scrunched her forehead and looked impatiently from Jane to Frost, as if their faces would give something away as to the reason they were at her place. Their faces were blank however. 'I thought the local police were working on finding the child…'

_'The child.' _Jane thought to herself. _'What a wonderful way to refer to the kid who's been living under your roof for nearly a year._ _So much love going on…_ _Not a single trace of a child living here either._' Jane looked around her. There was not one thing out of place, everything had its place and looked immaculate. No toys scattered everywhere, not a single one actually, no children movies in the collection, no photos, no drawings… the place was merely boring. _'I'd have wanted to flee myself'_ She resisted the urge to ask the woman how one could erase so quickly any trace of the chaos resulting from having a child living in the house. 'The _child_ has been found,' Jane revealed instead.

Louise let out a breath as she rested her back on the couch. 'How wonderful!' she smiled relieved. 'That would have gotten me and my husband in so much trouble had she really disappeared,' she continued, reaching for her purse on the side table and going through it. 'I take it was one of Hope's tantrums. Such a troubled child… it really was getting out of hand having her here.'

Jane rolled her eyes. 'What can you tell us about Hope?'

'Well,' Louise started. 'Ah! Here it is,' she exclaimed, retrieving her cell phone from the purse and clutching it in her hand. 'I'm sorry detective. Can this wait? I have to call my husband and let him know we are free to go Santa Monica next week after all. He was so worried… he arranged this trip last month and it would be rather unfortunate to waste all this money because…'

'Because you were both so concerned about an orphan missing child,' Jane finished, with a fair amount of sarcasm only Frost had caught. 'We completely understand, don't we Detective Frost?'

'Of course ma'am… go ahead and take your time. I'm sure your husband will take great comfort in your words,' Frost said, playing Jane's game and feeling just as much taken aback by the woman as Jane did.

In the end, on the journey back to the precinct, Jane and Frost still had no additional relevant information about Hope – something they had both deemed as very likely to happen from just the first two minutes inside that woman's house.

'Jane! Detective Frost!' they heard as they entered the station.

_'Maura,' _Jane thought. Of course she would already know everything that was going on.

'Detective Korsak informed me about your most recent case. I've already assessed her injuries and I haven't found anything we should be concerned about.' Maura strode confidently on her heels, meeting both detectives halfway and motioning for them to follow her to the corridor. She briefly looked at Hope who was still occupying Jane's chair, making sure the child was still engrossed in the movie Korsak had gotten playing on Jane's computer. 'What did you gather?' She asked concerned.

'We didn't actually get anything we didn't already know.'

Jane nodded her agreement. 'That woman cares as much for her foster kids as I care about the Yankees,' she muttered, shifting her weight from one leg to the other, revealing some of her pent up frustration.

Maura shook her head almost imperceptibly at Jane's explanation. However, knowing almost nothing outside work quite raised Jane's ire like the Yankees, she quickly inferred there must have been a reason to back up that statement. 'That's terrible!' she added, hoping for more information.

'Jane's right. There was no trace of a child in that house doc. The whole place was just… gloomy and the woman didn't inspire much confidence if you ask me,' Frost told her. 'I think we can both guess where the state's money was being applied because it definitely wasn't on the kid and in making sure she was comfortable.' He frowned, excusing himself to update Korsak.

'Jane? What did detective Frost mean by that?' Maura asked, puzzled.

'Maura…' Jane groaned. The only thing she wanted right now was try to find a way to solve the situation. It was already late and everyone was putting in extra hours to give her time to figure it out. She still had to notify social services she had Hope with her and somehow convince the kid of something she was no longer convinced of herself; that is was okay to go with them, to be put in a group home and that someday she would have a nice family who would love her and be happy to call her their own. However, looking at her best friend and realizing how the situation must touch close to home, she couldn't deny her of the information she wanted. 'The woman just didn't care, Maur,' Jane whispered, tired and disappointed. 'We told her we had found the kid and the first thing on her mind is this…' she paused, inhaling loudly. 'This expensive trip her husband had arranged. She never asked if Hope was okay,' she said, hurt in display in her eyes as she glanced to the 8 year old now resting her head on her desk, probably asleep. She wondered what kind of future she would have. Would she get a chance at all? Would she really have a family? Would she be one more society reject? Would she do well in life? Would she end up in the streets? Jane knew whatever she decided to do would in great part determine this child's future. Why she was so attached, so compelled to go out of her way to help the little girl she didn't know. The only thing she knew was the weight on her shoulders was making itself noticed as the time to make serious decisions she didn't particularly want to make sped up in her direction.

'What will happen to her?' Maura swallowed hard. 'We can't…'

'We can!' Jane cut right in, already knowing where Maura was going with it. 'Maura, we can!' she reinforced. 'We have to. I don't want to anything more than you do, but we can't just hide her Maura.'

Maura nodded, thinking. 'I'm not suggesting kidnapping Jane. That would be highly irresponsible,' she protested. 'In some situations, however, the professionals handling these children's cases can be granted temporary custody of them.'

Jane stood looking at Maura, not a single thought in her head. Her mind had suddenly gone blank. 'What?' she asked in a hoarser tone than usual.

'You could file for temporary custody,' Maura beamed. 'Hope could benefit from the stability of being placed in a more permanent setting.'

'What? No. Maura…'

Jane shook her head, both her hands on her chest. She leaned just slightly forward and felt her heart beating under her palms. Surprisingly, Maura's words had made sense to her, even if only for a moment. She wanted to do the right thing for the little girl, keep her safe. She had never been one to dream of having her own kids. In fact, she had many times stressed the fact she was never going to have them. That's why it rattled her now, why suddenly this kid she didn't know at all had got in her head, messed with it and made her want to keep her; to be the one to make it all right. She wanted it, but she knew she couldn't. For once, just because Maura was suggesting, it didn't mean it was a good idea.

'You're considering it,' Maura stated. 'I can tell you'll be a fantastic influence in her life.'

'Why are you talking like it's a done deal?'

'It isn't?' Maura asked surprised.

'No, Maura.' Jane hissed. 'It's not gonna happen.'

'Why not?'

'I swear to God… sometimes it sounds like you don't think at all, Maur. I'm not responsible for the kid's case.'

'That's it?' Maura scrunched her brow while frowning. 'Although it may not be very professional, I believe that's something you'll have no trouble dealing with. You did find her after all,' she reasoned with Jane. In this case some manipulation wouldn't hurt.

'Well, if it's not for that then just look at my job. Law enforcement isn't exactly known to breed happy families, not to mention it's dangerous.'

'Are you saying law enforcement professionals aren't fit to be parents because of their jobs?'

'I didn't say that!' Jane argued. 'Come on… don't twist my words. You know what I mean.'

'Actually…' Maura started. 'I don't.'

'Urgh…' Jane groaned. 'I work fucked up hours, criminals can follow me home. I'm putting the kid at risk!'

'Hardly any more than the average person, Jane,' the blonde doctor, fought back. 'Criminals can follow anyone home. I'd say she's more protected being with a detective than with just anyone else.'

'Right… in a place where she can decide to have a go with a gun.' Jane rolled her eyes.

'Not if you use the gun safe I gave you last Christmas.'

'You're infuriating, Maura.' Jane breathed.

Maura took a step back and bit her lower lip. She hadn't noticed her presence and ideas were being unwelcomed. She chastised herself for not noticing. 'I'm sorry,' she apologized, her confidence fading only to Jane's expert eyes.

'I didn't mean it like that, Maura.' Jane told her hurriedly. 'It's just…'

'You were trying to get me to validate your excuses not to take Hope in?' Maura asked, perceptively. Jane nodded. 'Do you not want to take her in?'

'I don't know, Maur…' Jane walked to the door, leaning against its frame and staring at the sleeping girl on her chair. 'I've never wanted this!' she said, making gestures with her hands between her and Hope. 'Kids… It makes me uncomfortable; I'm not good with them. I'll just mess her up more and she'll end up hating life and doing drugs before… before she's in high school.' Maura laughed. 'Where the hell is the fun in that, Maur? Really?' she grumbled.

'You're making no sense whatsoever. You are wonderful with children even if you are too frightened to admit it yourself.'

'It doesn't matter anyway,' she continued, purposely ignoring what Maura had just said.

'What doesn't?' Maura asked, walking further in the room and motioning for Jane to follow.

'Do you know how unlikely it is for a judge to agree to this kind of arrangement?' Jane walked the last steps to her desk and leaned over it to check that Hope was indeed asleep. She lightly ran her fingers through the sleeping child's hair before crossing her arms on her chest. 'It takes extreme situations for this to happen. It's a really odd situation, Maura. She's not unidentified, she's not in any immediate danger, and she's not in need of any kind of extra care… The judge won't buy it. There are thousands of kids in her situation waiting in group homes or foster families.'

'Maybe because everyone holds the same notions and no one bothers to try anymore.'

'No Maura… it really is an extreme solution. I'm not gonna feed you the romanticized shit you want to hear-'

'Jane! Language,' Maura gasped.

'Sorry… Listen, that's just not how the system works. I wouldn't count on this possibility, trust me Maura.'

The Medical Examiner pouted, but nodded. 'Isn't she worth the try though?'

'That's not fair Maura. I'm trying. I want her safe. Very much.'

'I'm sorry.'

Maura could tell in Jane's demeanor how she truly meant what she was saying. She had noticed how Jane's eyes sparkled with emotion speaking of the little girl and how much it affected her that she was powerless to do more. Maura had noticed how Jane spoke with the caring tone that was rare for her to show. Hope had disarmed Jane and now, watching her best friend holding her phone against her ear, talking to social services, she once again saw the desire in her eyes to fight for the child. In the end, she was sure Jane would make the best decision and once she made peace with herself about what that meant, the medical examiner knew she would fight for it for dear life.

'So it's settled,' Jane announced to her team. 'Someone from social services will drop by tomorrow morning to take the kid.' Jane kept telling herself that if she didn't use the first name it would be easier to let go when the time came. She knew it made no sense, but she preferred to think there was some truth to it.

'Where will she spend the night?' Korsak asked.

'I'll take her,' Jane replied promptly. 'I think I can manage to keep her alive for a night,' she laughed.

_'There she is, hiding behind jokes. Discrediting herself for protection, in case something goes wrong, so she won't feel like a failure. She has no idea of how truly extraordinary she is,'_ Maura thought, staying to watch as Jane carefully lifted Hope from her chair and into her arms as if it was the most natural thing to do.

'It's okay, sweetheart. It's me, Jane,' she whispered to the child when she started fighting against her, scared, not remembering of where she was and who was holding her. She didn't like to be held, to feel imprisoned in someone's arms. Someone she didn't trust.

'Put me down,' she asked sleepily. 'Where are you taking me?' she frowned, dislodging herself from Jane.

Jane didn't take it to heart. She knew better than to expect a kid with Hope's history would just accept her without suspicion. The worst thing was she knew Hope was right to be suspicious. Jane was after all about to hand her over to child services. She would be one more person Hope wouldn't be able to turn to for help. She would be just like everyone else in her life. Jane sighed and kneeled in front of the little girl, looking directly into her blue-green eyes.

'You're coming to stay with me for the night, is that okay?' Jane asked. Maybe if she made it sound like Hope had a choice, the little brunette would feel more in control and safer.

'Who's in your house?' There was suspicion all over Hope's face and on her trembling voice.

'No one sweetheart. It will be just you and me. We can buy some junk food and watch some TV before bed time. How does that sound?'

Hope shrugged. She knew better than to believe in people who were nice to her. Those were the worst people because they always made her hurt a lot more than anyone else. They made her feel happy and like she belonged somewhere, but they would always push her away eventually. She wanted to trust Jane. She wanted to be carried to her home, to watch TV and eat all the foods she liked. She wanted to just be able to reach for the tall brunette and be held safely in her arms, but she knew there would be a catch._ 'There is always a catch.'_ And so Hope said nothing. A shrug would have to be enough. Jane could yell all she wanted and punish her for being bad, but she couldn't say more. She couldn't trust. Hope lowered her eyes to the floor and waited for the yelling to start, urging her to reply.

But it never did. Instead the little girl flinched as Jane's hand came in contact with her shoulder. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't going to hit her. She looked up at Jane tentatively and relaxed instantly as she met a smile in Jane's face and a pair of warm brown eyes. She couldn't help but smile back shily. Then, in a matter of seconds, she realized what she was doing and quickly looked back down hiding her face, the smile disappearing instantly. That was the problem with nice people. They were sneaky and Hope would always fall for their tricks. She had to be more cautious so she wouldn't get burned. She wouldn't give Jane the satisfaction.

'Ready to go then?' Jane asked, but as expected there was no answer. Hope had just turned around and made her way out to the elevators by herself. She sighed once again as she got back up. 'See you tomorrow,' she said softly to her team as she walked away to meet the kid.


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for the long wait but this chapter was written and rewritten over and over... **

**I'd like to thank you all for the amazing reviews. They mean a lot to me and give me that extra bit of motivation to write. **

* * *

"So…" Jane started nervously as she unlocked the door to her apartment and let Hope inside. "Are you hungry?" she asked tentatively.

"Yeah," the little 8 year old said, nodding. She took small steps from Jane's door to her couch, as if giving Jane time to tell her off, and leaned slightly against it while somehow still maintaining the straightest of postures. She wanted to get out of the way, lean against the safest thing in the apartment and stay put until some order followed. Hope watched as Jane plopped down on the couch, resting her feet on the coffee table, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Hope glanced quickly at it, curious about what was on, but soon rested her gaze back on the floor; she didn't know if it was okay for her to watch TV without permission.

"I hope you're not thinking about standing there all night kid," Jane said playfully, patting the cushion next to her. "Come sit by me." She noticed as Hope's eyes gave away exactly just how unsure and uncomfortable she was about their arrangement and wished she could tell her there was no reason for it, but she truly couldn't. The child walked, very mindful of her steps, and sat nervously next to Jane. "Just relax Hope. It's fine. My couch is your couch." Jane smiled at her, yet the little brunette didn't seem any more convinced about it than she was before. If anything she could swear she saw her anxiety spiking. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart," Jane whispered, turning all the way on the couch to face the girl, and placing both her hands on either of Hope's shoulders. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Jane rubbed her hand up and down the girl's left arm, hoping to convey her some security. She saw her sighing and closing her eyes. Jane waited frozen for a moment, trying to collect more information as to whether or not she had managed to ease some of Hope's reluctance. Then, suddenly powerful green-blue eyes stared at hers. Jane was so absorbed by them, trying to read them, she didn't notice it until it was too late when Hope's hand made contact with her breast, over her top. Jane's eyes shot open to their limit and she frowned, managing to pull the 8 year old away from her just as she noticed the kid's lips way too close to her own. She immediately got up, pacing so fast from right to left she was sure the floor would cave under her feet. "Whoa! Whoa! What the…" she shook her head, running her hand through her hair, trying to think. Nothing coherent formed in her head however. "What the fuck…" she muttered. _'What the fuck just happened?'_ she kept thinking. She stopped pacing for a minute and stood still, not hearing any other sound but the one of her mind freaking out. She glanced at the couch – her face painted with full disbelief – and noticed it was empty. She exhaled loudly. "Fucking great," she hissed to herself. She could hear muffled cries coming from the bathroom and however much she didn't want to know what all that moments ago had just meant, she couldn't run from it. She had to figure it out, so she did her best to calm down so not to scare Hope and walked towards the bathroom. Just then her doorbell rang. Jane turned around in annoyance, stomping her right foot on the floor as she turned and let an angry groan escape her throat. "Worst fucking timing ever!" she spat as she opened the door, finding Maura's expression just as it slipped from one of absolute joy to one of complete disbelief.

"Jane!" she reprimanded. "Control your anger when you have a child under your care!" Maura pushed Jane out of the way and entered her apartment without asking for permission. She assessed the environment trying to put together something to justify Jane's behavior but she couldn't. Everything looked normal… except for Jane's freaking out demeanor. "Jane what happened?" she asked, concerned. What could have possibly happened in so little time? "Is that…" she turned around, taking a few steps towards Jane's bathroom, before she turned back to Jane, frowning. "Is that Hope crying in your bathroom?"

The clenching of Jane's jaw didn't pass unnoticed by Maura's expert eyes.

"You have to tell me what happened, Jane," the blonde woman urged her to talk. "Is she hurt?"

"No." Jane shook her head, closing her eyes in frustration. "The kid… seriously Maura, can't you just go?" she asked exasperated. She needed to sort things out with Hope and having to discuss with Maura what had happened wasn't in the list of her priorities.

"Oh, I'm not leaving," Maura said as a matter of fact before she quickly moved to set the paper bag she had been carrying on Jane's coffee table.

"Maura…" Jane breathed out. Her hands rubbing her face yet again.

"Jane, tell me," Maura whispered, carefully grabbing Jane's wrists and moving them out of her face. "Please."

"I need to talk to her, Maur," Jane breathed. "I need to make sure I'm just being paranoid. I need to make sure what I think, isn't."

"Not in that state, you're not. I understand Hope is your priority over me right now, but you need to calm down first. You won't help her if you go in there like that."

Jane simply nodded.

"Let me help you. Why are you so angry?"

"It's… God, Maura… the kid, Hope, groped my boobs."

"I'm sure she didn't mean it. She's a child. I'm sure she was playing and… squeezed the wrong assets." Maura chuckled, being well accustomed to Jane's overreactions over intimate touching. However something in Jane's face told her she wasn't overreacting.

"Exactly Maura. She's a child. A child who groped my boobs and tried to kiss my lips!" She hissed. "I have this siren in my head… it went off and it won't shut."

Maura processed the information Jane had just presented to her and studied the woman's face. "Do you mean to say you think…"

"I do," Jane replied sharing the same look of anger as her friend.

* * *

"Hope?" Jane knocked on her bathroom door. "Hope I'm going to come inside, is that alright?" She asked, feeling a lot calmer and composed after talking with Maura through her worries and anger.

Jane opened the door to find the 8 year old sitting against the wall with her legs to her chest. She sighed, doubting herself for a moment and wondering if she shouldn't ask Maura to do this instead. "I'm sorry" she heard Hope's strained voice.

"Hey?" Jane walked completely inside closing the door behind her and sat on the floor in front of the scared child, her hand falling protectively on the child's arm. "It's okay, Hope, I'm not mad." She in fact wasn't. Not at Hope anyway.

The broken child looked at her with red eyes and sobbed. "I thought… I though you…that's why you said to…"

"Listen to me, Hope. I am not mad at you. I'm not going to yell at you and I'm not going to…. Do those things to you. You are not going to be punished either. I need you to calm down a little bit and talk to me," Jane spoke softly. "Can you do that, baby?"

It was the first time Jane saw such vulnerability in the child. Up until then there had always been a hint of defiance, aggressiveness… all the defense mechanisms Maura had been telling her about. At this moment everything was in display. Hope now spoke with the littlest of voices. "I'm cold."

"Come here." Jane got up and stretched her arm out to Hope, so she would take her hand. She noticed how she hesitated for a second, before accepting Jane's hand. "Do you want to wash your face first, sweetie?" As Hope gave her a small nod she let the girl get rid of the tear stains on her face on her bathroom sink, taking the moment to go in her bedroom and grabbing one of her hoodies. "There," she said as she reentered the bathroom carrying a black BPD hoodie. She waited for Hope to finish drying her face on the towel. "Lift your arms," she instructed, sliding the hoodie down her arms. "Better?"

Hope nodded and leaned against Jane's stomach. The detective swallowed her tension and patted Hope's back lightly, unsure of what to do and what not to do. Ultimately Jane decided to sit on the toilet and pull the kid into her lap. Having this conversation in a bedroom didn't sit particularly right in her mind.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, honey, and I need you to be honest with me." Hope stiffened on Jane's lap. She was sure she would be in great trouble.

"Hey? No one is ever going to hurt again. I promise you. It's over, Hope." Jane spoke so forcefully and with such emotion, Hope couldn't prevent herself from looking in her eyes. For a moment she didn't feel scared; on the contrary, she felt safe. "So, on the couch… why would you do that?" Hope shrugged and looked away, embarrassed. She knew what she had done was supposed to be a bad thing and she couldn't help the tightening in her chest. "It's okay to tell me, sweetie."

"It's 'cause you were saying the things they say when they play games with me." Jane had to lean closer towards Hope to hear what she was saying.

"What games do 'they' play?" Again, Hope shrugged, showing no signs of wanting to speak. Jane couldn't blame her though. Sure she was young but she wasn't dumb; she knew those 'games' were wrong and she knew the child felt embarrassed and ashamed, but she had to press on the matter. There was no way she could or would let it slip. "Do 'they' touch you somewhere in your body you don't like?"

Hope nodded and Jane was instantly a step away from being sick. Without showing her anger, she asked "Can you point with your hand where in your body 'they' touch you that you don't like?" She knew where those places would be, but she needed confirmation from Hope. She couldn't build a case based on what she thought had happened. She needed to see it, but soon learned it only made her feel more disgusted with the kind of people lurking in the world when, pointing on her own body, Hope confirmed her suspicions. "I know this is difficult, sweetie. You're doing so good and being so brave!" Jane told her, knowing perfectly well her words wouldn't take away the trauma this child had experienced and the shame she had to make her endure now. "I'm so proud of you for being so brave."

"I thought you were being so nice 'cause you were going to do the same."

"Listen to me, baby." Jane held Hope's face between her hands, looking straight at her as she spoke. "I will never do anything like that to you and I will never let anyone do those things to you ever again. I promised you and I do keep my promises." The 8 year old simply nodded, smiling a small, trusting smile.

Jane still needed to figure out who the 'they' were, but for now she decided to let it rest. She wouldn't force so much in one day. She could first discuss it with Frost and Korsak, decide what could be done and only then ask Hope to once again talk about it.

"Let's get you something to eat," Jane said after a few moments, breaking the silence.

"I'm hungry."

"I bet you are, honey. Come on then…"

Grabbing Jane's hand she followed the tall brunette to the living room, not noticing the presence of another person in there until Jane spoke.

"Can you wait on the couch with Maura, while I get the take out menus?" Jane asked, motioning with her head to the couch where Maura was sitting, looking at them with a smile on her face. Hope gasped as realization hit her and she noticed they weren't alone. She tightened her grasp on Jane's hand through the much too big sleeve of the hoodie and leaned impossibly closer to the woman as she hid her face on her stomach. Jane looked apologetically at Maura who was quick to dismiss it and smile encouragingly at Jane.

"Oh, wait, I brought us food," Maura let out all of a sudden, remembering what she had brought on the bag.

Jane chuckled. "Green bean salad?" she said, knowingly.

"Well… there's two chicken salads too," Maura said.

"No offence Maura but Hope here is going to pick whatever she wants to eat, right kiddo?" she asked, nudging at Hope and smiling encouragingly.

"Anything?" Hope asked cheerful.

"Whatever you want, babe." Jane repeated. "Want to come with me and check the menus?" Hope stretched her arms and Jane didn't hesitate to pick the little girl up, holding her close as she rested her head on Jane's shoulder.

"Can we have pizza?" she asked, through a yawn.

"Anything you want, honey."

The three of them ate in front of the TV later that night, watching a soccer game. Jane had given Hope full permission to mess with her TV, making sure the young girl knew that was a privilege almost no one had, especially not Maura. Hope had giggled at Jane's funny faces and accepted the remote. Much to Jane's amusement she had stopped exactly on ESPN. "You go, Hope!" she had told her, while high-fiving the 8 year old. The Seattle Sounders were playing against the Portland Timbers.

"That's lame!" Hope yelled at the TV, forgetting she wasn't alone. Jane chuckled and glanced to the kid on her left. She couldn't help but like her more and more. "No way in hell!"

"I don't understand…" Maura whispered to Jane, looking curiously to the other end of the couch, admiring Hope's concentration on the TV.

"She's clearly not a Portland Timber fan, that's for sure." Jane smirked.

"This referee sucks, Jane!" Hope complained.

"Tell me about it, kid…" Jane nodded. "Must have eyes on his ass if he didn't see that one."

"Jane, language!" Maura reprimanded.

"What? Me!? But Hope did it too!" Jane complained, pouting.

Maura rolled her eyes and focused her attention back to the TV. "What happened? I don't see anything," Maura asked, confused, scrunching her eyes at the screen trying to understand what was wrong.

"It was an offside goal!" Hope lifted her hands in exasperation, before sinking further on the couch.

"Oh…" Maura nodded. "Okay…"

Jane chuckled, nudging Maura playfully. "Maura doesn't know what that means Hope."

"Really?" Hope asked in amusement. "If the referee wasn't a cuckoo head he would have saw"

"Seen," Maura corrected.

"Seen," Hope stressed, rolling her eyes. "that the player ran after the ball his teammate shot at him when he was waaaaay ahead of the Sounder's last defender."

"He wasn't even on his own half of the field when the ball was played. Definitely offside," Jane said, making Hope nod forcefully at her in agreement.

"Do you like soccer, Hope?" Maura asked, amused by the interaction between the two brunettes. She had failed to understand what they were trying to explain but she still couldn't help but smile at how relaxed they both seemed to be as opposed to as when she had found them.

Hope nodded. "Daddy taught me when I was littler," she replied, smiling cheekily.

Jane looked quickly at Maura, her arm around Hope, and mouthed in a very uncharacteristic way "So cute!" There it was again a side of Jane that Maura didn't get to see often.

"Do you know how to play?"

"Uh-uh. Daddy said I'll be a really good striker someday!" she replied, clearly proud of herself.

"So that's your preferred position?" Hope nodded.

"I like to score the goals!"

"Do you play too, doctor Maura?"

"Oh… no. I like science a lot better. And you can call me Maura, sweetie."

"I don't know that game," Hope said, confused, earning a laugh from both the adults.

"Hope, science is not a game. Well… perhaps sometimes it could be viewed as so but, to be precise, science is an intellectual activity carried on by huma…"

"Maura!" Jane interrupted.

"What?"

"She's eight," Jane said as though it was self-explanatory.

"So? Eight year olds have curious minds and so much plasticity to learn. When I was her age…"

"Maur… shut your pretty mouth," Jane said, grinning. "Please."


	5. Chapter 5

**So... I'm deeply sorry for the HUGE delay on this chapter. My inspiration was gone and I completely gave up on this fic for a while. I hope you can forgive me. And for those of you still following, thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. They always make my day. Above all... thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy a new chapter. **

**All mistakes are completely my fault.**

**I do not own anything. Unfortunately... not even Hope Solo.**

* * *

The next morning Jane woke up before the alarm went off. That was of course something very uncharacteristic of her. She would usually sleep until she literally had no more seconds to spare. This morning however she simply couldn't do it, not only because she had let Hope have her bed while she slept on the couch, but also because she would be handing the little brunette to child protective services custody in a matter of hours.

Jane was conflicted. She knew she wanted to hold on to Hope, let her have a chance at a normal life and be the safe haven she needed to be able to be a child, with normal child problems. She couldn't help but think that maybe Maura was right, maybe she could do this. She knew she would have the support. Her Ma would love the idea and would immediately embrace Hope as a granddaughter, Jane was sure of it. Frankie was great with kids and he'd most likely offer to help in case she ever needed anything, and then there was Maura… Jane knew Maura would very easily relate to Hope and create a special bond with the child. She had the support and her gut was telling her to at least give it a chance, although at the same time Jane knew for sure she didn't want kids. They were never part of the plan and never would be. Unfortunately for Jane, as she repeated it in her head, it no longer sounded to her like the done deal it was only hours ago.

"Clearly it's just a phase…" she told herself as she sat on the couch and rested her elbows on her thighs and her forehead on her hands.

When she heard her bedroom door opening she let her arms fall down and turned slightly back, only to find a reluctant 8 year old backed against the wall and looking at her with apprehension.

"Hey kiddo," Jane greeted her warmly. She quickly glanced at her watch on the coffee table and turned back to the child. "What are you doing up so early, sweetie?"

"Nuh-thing."

Jane noticed fear creeping into the sleepy child's eyes.

"Hey?" Jane asked softly, getting up. "It's okay sweetie… I'm not gonna hurt you," Jane reassured her as she slowed her pace, approaching her like one would approach a scared puppy. "What's wrong, kiddo?"

But no explanations were needed. As soon as Jane was close enough she noticed the wet stain on the child's pants.

"Hey, it's okay," Jane told her crouching down in front of her and smiling warmly.

"I didn't mean to," Hope sobbed.

"It's okay," Jane repeated, reaching out to tuck messy brown hair under the child's ear.

"I'm sorry."

"Ah come on…" Jane started, changing her tone of voice to a playful one. "It's just wet pants. It's fine." Hope looked up at Jane, unsure. "Really, it happens sometimes when you're scared."

"I'm not scared." Hope let out, immediately standing taller.

"I know sweetie. I just mean that sometimes when we're upset at something or when we're at a new place with people we don't know, it just sort of happens."

"It doesn't happen a lot…" Hope looked back down, embarrassed. "I'm sorry." Jane didn't say anything. Instead she walked into her bathroom.

Hope stood on the same spot looking intently at the bathroom door. When Jane walked out she started giggling, causing Jane's heart to swell.

"You peed on your pants, Jane!" Hope giggled, pointing at the stain on Jane's pants.

"What?" Jane feigned surprise. "No!... It just keeps happening!" she let out, dramatically. "Well I guess we're pee buddies now."

Hope giggled again. "You're silly!"

"I am silly?" Jane protested. "What are you, bugger?"

Hope shrugged amused.

Both girls turned around as they heard the door opening.

"Ma?"

"Maura told me what happened. I'm so proud of you, Janey!" Angela beamed, walking past Jane and stopping right in front of Hope. "And she's so adorable!"

Hope looked to Jane with horror in her eyes as Angela approached her unashamedly, ready to pull her into a tight hug.

"Ma! Stop it!" Jane told her sternly, placing her hand on her mother's shoulder and forcing her to stop. "Jeesus! Will you stop? You're being creepy. The kid will think you're the slenderman."

"Jane Clemen…"

"Don't YOU dare, Ma!"

"You have to work on your temper, child!" Angela huffed before turning back to the small girl. "She's so beautiful, Janey! I can't believe you're finally giving me a granddaughter!" The older Rizzoli grinned.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh. Don't look so surprised! You thought I wouldn't find out?" Angela asked, annoyed at her daughter. "When were you going to tell me?!" She argued. "Do I not deserve to know you're giving me a grandbaby!?"

"Ma!" Jane screamed through gritted teeth. "Jeeesus… one would think that after so many years of eavesdropping you'd at least be good at it! You got it all wrong, Ma!"

"I don't eavesdrop!" Angela pouted. "Maura happened to tell me." She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Ma…" Jane started in a somewhat threatening tone.

"Fine! I may have caught a conversation between Maura and Detective Frost… and when I asked if you had brought the girl home she said yes so I assumed you had made up your mind."

"God… you're so infuriating sometimes! But this is not the time to talk…" Jane looked over at Hope and smiled.

"Hope it's okay. This is my mom." She explained. "It may look like she just escaped the looney bin but deep down she's kinda nice," she whispered, smirking.

"JANE!" Angela gasped. "Did you pee on your pants, sweetheart?"

"What?" Jane asked confused, following her mother's line of sight to her pants. "Urgh. No, Ma… I did not pee my pants." She groaned. "It's water," she whispered.

"Don't you dare lying to your only mother!" Angela reprimanded. "Sweetheart you are not a baby anymore, why would you pee on your pants?"

"MA!" Jane shouted. "I did NOT pee on my pants, will you stop it?!"

"How did you not pee on your pants. You're all wet! And sweetheart, I'm sorry but it stinks like pee in here!"

"That wasn't me, Ma. Hope peed herself."

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! Don't you dare put the blame on that wonderful little girl who had nothing to do with it! You should follow her example and learn not to pee yourself. For heaven's sake, you're 32!"

Angela walked past Jane and Hope and into her daughter's bedroom.

"Janey you really made a huge stain on that bed, let me tell you!" Angela stated, returning to the living room with a pair of fresh pajama pants and underwear. "Go wash yourself and put this on or you're going to end up with a rash."

"Ma! You have got to stop this. I'm going mad!" Jane whined, jumping on the spot as a plea for her mother to stop. "I did NOT pee myself!"

"You're in denial sweetheart, I get it. It's a little embarrassing. We'll pretend this never happened." Angela winked.

"Jane?" Hope called out. "You said you peed. Are we not pee buddies?"

"Yeah. Yeah of course we are! I diiid pee myself. Of course we are pee buddies, honey!"

"I swear I don't understand you sometimes," Angela complained, throwing her arms up in the air.

"MA! Look at Hope's pants and figure it out, geez!" Jane yelled.

Angela did so and gasped, horrified. Kneeling in front of the girl and touching her wet pants. She then turned to her daughter, fully concerned.

"Jane! Did you pee on the poor girl?! Honey you have to go to the urologist!"

"Urgh, please shoot me..."


	6. Chapter 6

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Maura asked Jane the moment they found themselves alone in the morgue, after making sure Hope would be fine by herself in Maura's office for a few minutes.

"I don't know, Maur. I want to help her, I do, but I don't know…" Jane glanced at Maura's office door deep in thought as if she could see the little girl through it.

"Are you scared it will be too much for you to handle?" The blonde woman asked tentatively focusing her attention on Jane's expression, trying to read her.

"No. Yeah… Well, I don't know how to handle kids. They're fine for a couple of hours, but then I don't know what to do with them. I could potentially kill her!" The detective exaggerated.

"That's unlikely. I've seen you with kids. You're a natural."

"Oh come on… don't feed me that crap. It makes me sound like a wuss. Look… If I take her in I'll do more harm than good."

Maura quickly assessed the situation in her mind. "I don't believe that." She told her friend truthfully. She had in fact seen Jane many times around kids, either during cases or at the BPD annual barbecue when the officers would take their families and enjoy a relaxation day among their career friends. Jane had always been at ease with kids, attracting them to her despite her tremendous efforts to keep them at a distance. She was a kid magnet whether she wanted to admit it or not, and she was a kid magnet with an intrinsic experience.

"Always the positive, Doctor Isles."

"Yeah, I am actually." Maura replied with a hint of playfulness.

"So you really think I'm suitable to take care of a kid."

"I do. Just look at it this way. If she goes back into the system what opportunities will she have? I really don't want to be a pessimist for a change, but given that she's 8 years old, that means she is definitely reaching a limit where it becomes less and less likely that she'll be picked up for adoption over younger children." Maura reasoned.

"So If I don't do this I'm condemning her to a life of uncertainty until she eventually grows out of foster care and is left alone in the world." Jane groaned, feeling the frustration accumulating once again. She didn't want to be responsible for such a turn of events.

"You're not condemning her. There's always exceptions, but that possibility becomes very likely to happen. You could be Hope's exception."

"That sounded so corny, Maura." Jane smirked, watching Maura as she grabbed her lab coat from the coat hanger and dressed it, careful to make sure it had no wrinkles.

The doctor smiled as she adjusted the sleeves. "I know but I was hoping it would touch you." She looked at Jane intently. "Am I pushing you?" She asked worried.

Jane shook her head. "I definitely don't feel like I'm sure I shouldn't do it, except for my job… Mostly I'm scared. I'm scared of what that means. I'm totally unprepared for something like this. And what if she doesn't like me…and living with me? What if I can't help her the way she needs me to?"

"You're scared of the unpredictable, it's absolutely normal but you will never know unless you try."

Jane crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her biceps. She was yet again deep in thought. Not wanting to rush Jane, Maura started sorting materials through the drawers.

"What if I try and then regret it? Won't it be worse if I am just another person to reject her? Won't it be way better if I keep in touch with her and remain a friend?" Jane suddenly spoke.

The medical examiner quickly stopped what she was doing and walked towards Jane, stopping in front of her friend and placing her hands on her biceps, stealing her nervous fingers and grabbing Jane's full attention. She then spoke softly and confidently. "She definitely needs friends, but most importantly she needs love and stability. She needs to feel like she's safe and that she has someone to trust. She needs guidance and a friend can provide that, but it's never the same as the love of a parent. She needs someone who will always be there." Maura paused, never taking her eyes from Jane's. "I have no doubt you could be that person." She finally added.

Jane's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words coming out of Maura's mouth and she unconsciously started moving her fingers beneath Maura's hands as if trying to caress them. She sounded so sure of it and the look in her eyes… it was almost as if the doctor looked at her and saw something completely different of what she was used to see when she thought about herself. She was convinced she wouldn't be fit to take care of a child, yet Maura looked at her with so much trust she almost felt like maybe she could do it. "That's a really big commitment, Maur…" Jane whispered, finally realizing what she was doing and slowly stepping away from Maura. Maybe if she did it slowly Maura wouldn't notice it in the first place.

"And that's why you're evaluating your possibilities." Maura told her, closing her hands in gentle fists, unconsciously trying to preserve the feeling of Jane's hands on hers.

"Do you know what I think? I think you'd be a much better candidate."

The blonde woman's eyes shot open in surprise. "Me? Maybe. I mean… I have thought about it before."

"You have? And you didn't tell me anything?" Jane asked, feeling just a little pinch in her heart.

"I only thought about it, Jane. It's not something I want to do right now, but eventually… Maybe." Maura considered.

"You see? Maura!" Jane exclaimed. "You would be so much better! And your job may have weird hours as mine has, but at least it's not as dangerous. Plus you have the money and you're smart and loving and you'd definitely be considered, Maura!"

"And I'm also your best friend. Judging by the way our relationship has developed and how we're always around each other, I'd be a great part in Hope's life so my value would still be put to good use with you being the parent. I don't want to influence you, but I'm convinced you should do this." Maura insisted.

"You really think so?"

The medical examiner nodded, smiling lovingly. "Yes, my gorgeous friend… I really think so."

"You know it's not going to be easy to get a judge's approval with me working in Law Enforcement."

"We just have to build a strong case and point out the positive aspects of the job and make sure we highlight how you're single but not alone. You have Angela, Frankie and you have me, not to mention Barry and Detective Korsak. Between all of us I'm sure we can manage and we can prove just that."

"We?" Jane teased.

"I didn't mean for it so sound like that, I…" Maura stuttered, blushing immensely.

"No, Maur. Relax. It's fine. I'm messing with you. I kinda like the sound of that." She admitted, shyly. "Thank you." She grabbed Maura's hand and squeezed. It wasn't unconscious this time. No, this time she was well aware of what she was doing. She had wanted to do it, having enjoyed earlier the feeling of Maura's hands on hers.

"You're welcome." Maura squeezed her hands back, running her thumb on the detective's fingers as if it was the most natural thing to do.

"Hoyt is going to be a problem." Jane tensed, once more pulling away and starting to pace.

"Hoyt is dead Jane."

"Do you really think they are still going to ignore that little, huge piece of information?" The brunette asked trying to miserably mask the vulnerability in her voice.

"We're going to find you the best attorney we can get to represent you so it becomes blurred in all the goodness. In fact, I know the perfect person and I'm sure she'll be glad to help." Her friend told her, returning to her previous task of sorting materials.

Jane watched Maura for a couple of minutes, not exactly paying attention to what the medical examiner was doing, but processing everything instead. It still was surreal to her that everything had changed so quickly for her. "I'm really doing this, aren't I?"

"Look at you! You're already glowing like a mom!" Maura teased, glancing at Jane over her shoulder.

"Didn't you say people don't glow? That it was increased blood yada yada…"

"I did say that, however I know it's a figure of speech. I just often enjoy teasing you. You look cute when you're annoyed." Maura smirked.

"Maura Isles… you're going to kill me someday, woman." Jane said, playfully.

"Jane?" Frost interrupted her, peeking inside the morgue.

"New case?"

"No. Hope's caseworker is here."

"Shit." Jane cursed. She had been so distracted with the conversation she had completely forgotten about the caseworker. How was she supposed to handle this situation? "Can you keep her busy for a few minutes? I need to have a talk with Hope."

"Jane she looks impatient…" Frost warned her.

"Okay, just tell her I got caught up with a case and I'll be meeting her in a few minutes. Take her to my Ma for a coffee or something…" Jane urged.

"I'll try, but in any case be ready to show up with the kid if I call you. She doesn't look like she's a very happy woman."

Jane groaned. "Thanks Frost."

"You're welcome but you owe me."

"Yeah, yeah… Just go distract the woman." She told him before turning to Maura. "Maur… do you mind if I use your office?"

"No, go ahead." She told her softly. "If you need anything I'll be in the forensic lab."

"Thanks Maur." Jane smiled at her, the gratitude reaching her eyes. She then took a deep breath and walked towards the office knowing Hope was there and she couldn't delay this talk any longer. Hopefully she could convince the little girl to go with her caseworker without much problem.

When Jane opened the door, Hope was sitting at Maura's desk where the two women had left her entertained with some pencils and paper. Jane smiled at the sight, enjoying Hope's look of contentment, only to frown a moment later. She would have to break the child's rare moment of peace to give her news that would very likely leave her upset.

Taking a deep breath she stepped inside, closing the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hope, come sit with me for a second," Jane said softly, sitting on Maura's small table while patting the couch in front of her. It barely registered in her mind that her friend would probably have a heart attack if she saw her sitting on the expensive piece of wood.

The small child silently left the doctor's desk and sat on the spot the dark haired woman had been patting on the couch.

Jane admired for a second inquisitive green eyes. "Well… The thing is…" The brunette started, clearing her throat. "Sweetie, I need you to do me a favor." Jane exhaled deeply, rubbing her fingertips on her forehead. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and grabbing Hope's hands. She would just be as honest as she could at the moment.

Hope frowned, growing slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't stupid. She knew she was about to be sent away again. She was going to a new foster home, she was going to change school again and be surrounded by more people who didn't want her.

"I know you don't want to but I need you to go with your caseworker and stay with that family for a little while."

"I don't want to," the eight year old whined, freeing herself of Jane's grip on her hands and backing away on the couch. "You can't make me!" she challenged, crossing her arms and clenching her jaw. "I'll run away again!"

Jane could tell Hope was trying to sound and look threatening, but in this situation she didn't need Maura to tell her that Hope was in fact scared and too proud to show it. Jane knew the little girl was fighting tears by putting on the mask of the angry kid. She had made her feel rejected and alone again. She was just one more of those people.

"Sweetheart, trust me, I know you don't, but look… I'm going to visit every other day and make sure you're fine."

"You lie!" Hope spat, trying at all costs to avoid Jane's eyes, moving her head around every time the woman tried to meet her gaze.

"What makes you say that?"

Hope shrugged.

"What if the new family is far away?"

"Then I'll just visit whenever I have free time." Jane stated as if it was obvious. "That is if you'd let me," Jane stressed. "Would you like that?"

The child finally looked at Jane, trying to read the woman, searching for sincerity. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to trust her, but at the same time she knew she had been lied to many times before. Jane was not the first one to promise her visits and so she knew better. She knew that Jane would be just another liar. She would show up for a few weekends and make her really happy… Hopeful even. But then one weekend she wouldn't show up; she would call instead and tell her that she was a little busy and would come by at a later time. Hope would never see her again. "I dunno…" she whispered sadly, looking down at her hands on her lap.

"I'm never going to have a home am I?" Hope asked suddenly.

"Hey! Come on kid don't say that. I'm sure there are lots of people that would love for you to be their daughter. They just haven't realized that yet." Jane tried to sound cheerful and convincing, but for some reason, thinking of it, she only felt jealous, which led her to feel insane as reality of what she wanted to do set in. What the hell was wrong with her? She couldn't possibly want to adopt a child.

"Jane?" Hope asked seriously, interrupting her thoughts. "Can you send me to jail?"

The detective chuckled, raising an eyebrow at the serious girl. "What? Why do you want to go to jail, honey?"

"'Cause I'm a bad girl."

"Hope you're not a bad girl," Jane corrected her, squirming uncomfortably. Now she wished she had brought Maura with her. She was not cut out to deal with these things, she had no idea what to say. If Maura was there she was certain the blonde would know what to do.

"No one loves me, that's 'cause I'm a bad girl. 'Cause I do lots of things wrong so no one wants me and then they have to send me away."

Jane cringed at the words. The fact that an eight year old would even label herself as bad because she was alone in the world and being tossed around like an old toy, was enough to make her disgusted with life. "You are NOT a bad girl, Hope. None of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong. You are the best little girl I have ever met and I am sure someday soon you will have a really nice family to take care of you." The brunette spoke confidently. "I promise you that." She was done second guessing her decision. She was not going to give up on this kid even if that meant choosing a rough path she wasn't sure she was prepared for.

"You're lying! You all lie! Mommies and daddies only want the babies," Hope cried. "Katie had to go away 'cause she was too old to be with us. She never got a mommy!"

Jane felt a knot in her throat forming yet again. These past hours were turning out to be the hardest in some ways. She had never had to deal with this reality so closely. If she was honest with herself she had never even given a thought about institutionalized kids. She had never thought that some of them do grow out of foster care, that when they reach a certain age are simply thrown into the world with no resources to take care of themselves. With no family.

"Sweetheart I know it's hard but I'm going to ask you to make an exception for me. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah." The child sighed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Can you please try really hard to trust me?"

Hope said nothing. She simply stared warily at the curly haired brunette who was asking her to do the one thing she couldn't. Trust had always meant pain. She couldn't do it… no matter how much Jane's eyes seemed honest, no matter how inviting her words sounded. She couldn't trust.

"I know it's hard baby, but I promise you I will try my best to make it all better, okay?"

Hope nodded. She didn't even realize she had done it until it was too late. The way Jane spoke to her, the way her eyes glistened with truth couldn't be ignored. She was going to hurt again, but for now she would just live the illusion that Jane would find her a nice family. No matter how much she acted up… that was all she wanted. A mommy and a daddy.

"But you have to trust me sweetie. Do you think you can try really hard for me?"

"I dunno," Hope spoke softly. She would never admit it out loud. She would never give Jane that satisfaction because when she broke her promise at least she wouldn't know she had had her little heart in her hands. She wouldn't have the satisfaction of knowing she had let her down.

"You're not saying no and that's good enough for me." Jane smiled, tucking Hope's hair behind her ear and lifting the child's chin so she could look her in the eyes once more. "I'm going to ask you to do as your caseworker says, okay? I'm going to visit you real soon and I'm going to do my best to help you. But for it to work you really have to obey to your caseworker," Jane stressed. She couldn't afford being classified something else other than a good influence in the kid's life. It was going to be hard enough battling for temporary custody with her job. "I'm going to give you a card with my number and you keep it." Jane reached for a pocket in her blazer and retrieved a card. She placed it on the child's hand and let her own hand rest on top of it as she spoke. "You don't have to tell anyone you have it and if you ever have a problem you call me. You call me at any time and I'll be there soon. You're not alone, okay?" Without thinking twice, she pulled the girl to her and hugged her protectively. She smiled as she felt her little arms tightening around her waist and her head nodding on her shoulder.

"Will you really visit?" Hope whispered.

"I promise I will," Jane spoke with just as much vulnerability in her voice as the child in her arms.

**Rizzoli&Isles**

"Miss Rizzoli I presume?" A small, annoyed woman addressed Jane as soon as she stepped out of the elevator hand in hand with Hope.

"Detective…" she replied curtly, feeling Hope's hand holding hers incredibly tight.

"Right… Trivialities," the woman said dismissively. "Anyway… We should get going." She looked down at Hope who was now leaning impossibly close to Jane as if the tall detective was her shield. "Hope, you're in a lot of trouble young lady!" She spoke once more, trying to grab the girl's free hand.

Hope hid her face on the detective's side as both her arms wrapped around Jane's.

"Excuse me?!" Jane scoffed. "First of all, do you think I'm going to let you leave with a missing child without seeing your ID? Second… Do you really think that's the best approach to a scared kid?" Jane asked, annoyed. Who the hell did that woman think she was dealing with?

"Look, Miss Rizzoli… I'm sure you're a grown woman and no one tells you how to do your job. I'd appreciate it if you let me handle mine the way I see fit."

Jane convinced Hope to let go of her arm and stepped in front of the child, standing between her and the caseworker. She didn't have to be in the middle of that conversation and Jane was glad that exactly at that moment Maura stepped out of the elevator and, noticing the exchange, led Hope to sit with Frost. Jane waited until Maura and the girl were at a safe distance to properly address the infuriating woman. "You listen to me… It's DETECTIVE Rizzoli and I will let you handle your job when you act a little less like an obnoxious little woman and more like a professional. What is wrong with you?" Jane snapped. "You will not threaten that kid in front of me ever again. I don't care what she did wrong and what lame excuse you have to justify your poor actions because guess what? There's no possible justification and I'll have your ass locked up for child abuse faster than you can say 'ups'."

"Who's threatening who now, detective?" the lanky woman asked spitefully.

"Oh you'll know if I'm threatening you. Don't think I won't be making sure you get thrown out of Hope's case." Jane knew she was crossing a line. She knew she had no influence to ban her from the case, but she was protective of the child and she would raise her hell while trying if she had to.

"Yeah? You think you're so much better than me… You're a nobody! You have no power over me." She laughed.

"Good morning… I'm Doctor Maura Isles," Maura interrupted, noticing Jane's surprised look. She had obviously been so deeply focused in the argument she hadn't noticed her until now.

"Excuse me, have we met lady?" The caseworker asked, eyeing Maura up and down and ignoring Maura's hand. She had absolutely no intention of shaking hands with anyone. She had much more important things to do than waste her time dealing with the protectors of an ungrateful child.

"As I was saying…" Maura started. "I'm Doctor Maura Isles the chief medical examiner and forensic expert of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a close friend with the senator, not to mention the President." Maura smiled internally as the woman suddenly lost her nerve. "I'm sure you've heard of the Isles Foundation? And the Isles Medical Research Institute? Perhaps you've heard of a particular branch… The Isles Foundation for the Orphaned Children?" The small woman shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "Yes. I'm the Isles behind all of the above and I can guarantee I have very powerful connections." The medical examiner said as a matter of fact. "As my best friend, it's safe to say Detective Rizzoli does have access to very powerful people some of which will be very thrilled to help in her case. As you must be aware… I wasn't the only person of influence to have been through the system. Unluckily for you… some of my contacts were there long enough to remember what it's like to have abusive caseworkers." Maura smiled, maintaining her poise. She glanced quickly at Jane and could see the look of admiration she was sending her way. It wasn't often that she made use of her name, but in this moment she was happy to do so. Sure she couldn't stop the caseworker of walking away with a scared Hope, she couldn't have some judge make her Jane's daughter right this instant, but she could very well prevent anyone from belittling her best friend in front of her. She could, and would, hold her later that night when the events of the day settled in and the tough detective showed up seeking comfort from the one person she wanted by her side.


End file.
